


Closer To The Edge (Hunger Games AU)

by itsaroosterteeththing



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Multi, achievement hunter - Freeform, roosterteeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2013-07-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 08:18:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/898044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsaroosterteeththing/pseuds/itsaroosterteeththing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because I needed an RT!Games fic and…I’m not sorry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Reaping

The tiny space between the curtains brought in a stream of light into the room, catching the 16 year old right in his eyes. He awoke groggy and tired as hell, the seagulls outside cawed loudly and the teen forced his eyes further shut, whining and rolling over. He hears his younger brother stamping around outside of the room, banging loudly on Gavin’s wooden door.

"Come on, asshole, mum told me to give you these." George says as he pushes the door open, throwing a bunch of clothes against Gavin’s bed. The teen whines again after the door is slammed behind his brother.

The Reaping.

It happened every year, all the children between the ages of 12 and 18 gather in the amphitheater where voices echoed and bounced off of the walls, they were sectioned into female and male and stood in neat rows. The Reaping was the only time people gathered like this, wearing their finest clothes and stayed prim and proper almost the whole day. The main event was daunting, the entire future of every child in the room hung on the line for the next however long it took them to call up the kids. Every District had their very own escort from the Capitol, District Four’s was a dark and gruff man who held no positivity within his features at all, Trexler was a force not to be reckoned with. The escorts job was to come to the District, call out the children and then lead them back to the Capitol. Names would be drawn from two separate bowls, one holding the boys names and another holding the girls. The system was organised but it was incredibly harsh. Every year you had been eligible for the Games, your name would enter one more time, so by the time you were eighteen, your name would be in that bowl six times. Although the Reaping was terrifying, what comes after is the scariest part.

Gavin had completely forgotten all about the stupid event, he forces himself up, yawning and rubbing his eyes, trying to waken himself up a little. He sighs deeply and looks at the tidy black suit sitting on the end of the bed. District four dealt with fishing, catching them and exporting them to the Capitol, in return the District would be receive money from the Capitol. Gavin had learned how to harpoon before he could walk, learned how to gut a fish perfectly by the age of five. Fishing was their entire world, and it paid for the nice suits that they were receiving for the Reaping. Gavin sighs again and rolls himself from the comfort of his bed. His mother yells on him, and he yells back that he was getting ready.

The suit fit perfectly, not that he expected any different, and it didn’t smell like fish, so it had that going for it at least. It was simple and black, no waist coat but a crisp white shirt that looked like his mother had set it in starch for weeks, smelled like it too. It was still too early to get dressed for the Reaping so Gavin removed the suit and folded it neatly, sitting it back onto his bed. He finally adorned himself with a simple t-shirt and jeans.

The kitchen was cluttered with food and cookery equipment, his mother spent a lot of her time in the kitchen as she was a fish merchant, George and Gavin caught the fish, their mother cooked it and sold it, they had to call it ‘Free and Family’ because they had collectively decided that “Free Fish" could land them in hot water in the future. Gavin sits at the table and sighs as his mother plates up his breakfast, he guessed the good thing about living with a fish merchant was that they were always to scared to use fish for themselves in case they had to sell it, the only time Gavin had to deal with the strong tasting meat was at the end of the month, just before Gavin and George had to go out again. Which, unfortunately for the 16 year old, was today, but it looked like his mother had let them off this month with the big plate of bacon he’d received.

"You have your stuff ready?" George muses, shoving a forkful of his breakfast into his mouth. George and Gavin looked like twins at first glance, it was only on closer inspection that it became apparent that George was a few years younger. They both had hair the colour of sand, eyes the colour of the sea after a storm and noses that were both exceedingly large and yet fitting on their faces. 

"Course, had it all done yesterday, Dad said that Herrings are everywhere now." He tells George between mouthfuls swallowing only to allow himself to breathe in. Gavin doesn’t mind fishing but found that it got tedious at times, especially when there weren’t any fish around to catch, but if their father was right, it could mean that they would bring back enough fish to last the month and still have enough time for baths before the ceremony, at least they could scrub away the fish smell.

___

Apparently their father had been dead on, their quota for the month had been exceeded by almost twenty fish, their mother’s face lit up like the full moon when she saw their catch. She scolded them, however, for returning late. George jumped into the searing hot water first, scrubbing at his skin till he was red raw, he washed and re washed his hair and even used some of the deodorant that District 4 had been purchasing from the Capitol. Gavin copied this process and by the time they were both ready they were both still red from scrubbing too hard to get rid of the foul fish smell. Their mother started crying at the sight of them, like she had since the day Gavin became eligible for the Games, both boys had no clue how to settle their mother, not with the looming sense of dread hanging over their own heads.

The walk to the amphitheater was thick with tension and apprehension neither boys wanted to say anything, neither wanted to break the silence that had fallen over them since leaving the safety of their home. The sun was shining and bared down an unmerciful heat against District four, and the closer they came to the large theater the more kids they saw sweating, heat and fear was a sure fire way for anyone to be sweating. At the corner of the amphitheater their mother gave them one final last hug, squeezing them tightly before letting them go and making her way to the other parents, every single one of them looked shockingly exhausted, as if none of them had slept the night before, Gavin thought they probably hadn’t, not one wink. They’re filed into lines, nearly three per gender, the youngest in one, the middle aged ones in another and the ones in their final year had another line. They each got their finger pricked and their blood set aside, filed then into neat rows, George only a few lines in front of Gavin. His heart was beating faster now, loud enough that he could hear it in his ears. There was nothing but silence in the theater and yet a thousand voices bounced off the marble walls, qualms and fears were thrown around until it didn’t matter whose fears they were, they all felt it till it was the only thing keeping them standing. 

The silence is broken when a tall and muscular man comes onto the podium they had set up for the event, Trexler huffed into the mic and started talking, his voice deep and throaty, he sounded as if he’d smoked cigarettes his whole life.

"Welcome to the 67th Annual Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor" his voice rang out, and was just as gruff as his appearance, his stance was stiff and formal and he held no other emotion than a disgruntled annoyance. “Lets get this show on the road then" he pushed on, trying to get things over and done with as quickly as he could. As he was speaking he had turned towards the bowl on his left, throwing his hand in there and pulling out the first card he found, he opened it up and without missing a beat he called out the first chosen name.

"Kara Eberle" 

Her name rang louder than anything he’d said before, some turned to look at her, and some turned away, afraid to look over. Gavin remembered Kara, they would fish sometimes together when George was busy, she was funny and sweet and the clumsiest girl he had ever met. She had gorgeous golden hair and a petite figure that made her look much younger than fourteen. She was terribly young for the Hunger Games and the sound of a mothers wail carried along the amphitheater She looked terrified, as if she would break down at this very moment. She moved with a purpose, however, every step was planned and she climbed her way up onto the stage and stood by Trexler, he bent and whispered something into her ear, she nodded and turned to the crowd, her eyes filled to the brim with tears. 

"And now for the lucky lad." A collective intake of breath from every boy in the rows, there had to be at least forty boys in these lines, ranging from 12 to eighteen, but no matter how different their age, or their appearance, right now they all shared the same fear. Trexler turned to his right and dug around the bowl, Gavin’s heart was was in his throat and no matter how much he swallows he could not get rid of the crippling fear. Blood pounded in his ears and the more time it took the man on stage to grab a name, the more Gavin found it hard to breathe. Trexler pulled a card out and opened it, he looked up at the crowd, stepped froward and looked across the group of boys, the first flicker of emotion appeared in his eyes. Genuine pity and concern where only barely visible behind the mask of general ignorance.

"Gavin Free"

The name slipped him for a moment, he couldn’t think about who it was? he’d heard that name before and it was struck from his mind, it was only when he heard George’s cry that he blinked and shook his head. He was Gavin and he was chosen. He swallows back his fear and stepped forward, at least 200 eyes watching him as he makes his way up the steps, his every fiber shaking. He makes his way up and stands to Trexler’s right, as he looked around he saw his mother sobbing into their neighbors shoulder, he saw George biting back his own tears and he saw the misery on everyone’s faces, a variation of the same emotion. Not that they weren’t happy, they were relieved and joyful that they were safe for another year, but no mater how joyful they were, at this moment they were mourning their tributes.

Trexler leaned and whispered into Gavin’s ear.

"I’m sorry" genuine and fierce Gavin watched him as he reeled back, his eyes never leaving his, he nodded and took a deep breath and looked at the children, the adults, everyone over once more before following Trexler into the building behind the amphitheater.

He was going to the Capitol…but not without facing his family first.


	2. Reaping Recall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I needed an RT!Games fic and…I’m not sorry.

George took it better than expected, he was horrified and it was evident in his expression, but he hid it well enough that mom and dad wouldn’t notice. Gavin said his goodbye to George in the best way he could think of, with a smack to the side of the head, they both give a shaky chuckle and looked away, he felt his stomach drop and he turns to his mother. She was a mess - as you’d expect - she was shaking and trying not to cry, the strain of keeping the tears back was predominant across her features. She hugged Gavin tightly and for a long time he felt like she wouldn’t let go. He didn’t mind, not one bit, he was just as scared as she was. His father didn’t say much, just stood in the corner and watched, his jaw would clench and then unclench but this was the only notable emotion that flickered across his face, he didn’t say goodbye, not really. Gavin’s father gave him more of a ‘Just win’ sort of pep talk.

It was hard hitting seeing them for what was more than likely his last time. The Hunger games was a 1 out of 24 chance, and it was a fight to the death. The last man standing won food and necessities for their district, District four could use that, the smell of fish on everyone would be gone _forever_ , They receive a massive house in the ‘Victors Village’ and money to support them and their family for a lifetime The rewards are great but the penalty if you fail to win is death, that and nothing more. It was gut wrenching and blood curdling. His family had gone and he was sitting with Kara, awaiting their ride to the Capitol. She was taking this much better than he was expecting, she had been crying by the looks of the heavy red rings around her eyes and the glassy appearance of her eyes. She was strong though, she showed no fear and instead rambled on about the Capitol and all of the rumors she’s heard about it.

“I hear people have different coloured _skin_ , not that it’s much of a shock, we see all the weird fads every Hunger Games on the TV" She says, her voice laced with disbelief. Gavin merely laid back and tried not to think about what he’d seen for the past 16 years of his life.

"I wouldn’t be surprised, have you seen Trexler? I think he’s grey really," He nods to himself, the man had held an odd grayish hue, he guesses it was just to add to his overall dark demeanor. “And you’ve seen them at the ceremony, they all have weird hair and stuff" He continues, looking at the ceiling. 

"And what _exactly_ is wrong with my hair?" Comes a deep baritone, Gavin sits up immediately, his cheeks flaring red. He apologizes quickly and retracts his comment.

"I just meant that the Capitol have a different style." He explains, not meeting his eyes and instead focusing on his oddly shaped stubble. Trexler hums and motions for them to move.

"Your ride is here." his words are short and quipped and they automatically move, following orders. They move throughout the District and climb aboard the train, following Trexler still till they reached their carriage, it was grand; filled with deep blues and emerald greens, the mahogany tables and chairs contrast against the colours around them, it’s oddly fitting and the colours of the sea come to life in the room. Kara and Gavin sit down, left with their thoughts again once Trexler leaves. 

"We have a coach, right?" Kara speaks up first, musing aloud most likely.

"Yeah, don’t know which victor it’ll be though" There have been only two Victors from District Four. There was Mags, of course, the sweet old lady who could make a hook out of almost _anything_ , and no-one could could forget Finnick Odair and his trident, he was a dead shot with that, although it was probably due more to his sponsors than his skill that won him the games, and that was that for District Four. Finnick won the games only two years ago, they would most likely be receiving him for their mentoring. 

Gavin was wrong. This was not a past victor, odd, he’d never seen this before, but then he guessed there had to be mentors before someone from District Four had won, it only made sense. The man that entered was tall and had a round face with a built body, he was almost the opposite of Trexler, although they both had thick dark hair, this man’s was tight curls that were held tightly to his head, he wore a pair of thick black framed glasses and his stubble held distinct copper hairs that reflected easily against the light, maybe even the odd grey hairs here and there. He held a different air about him than Trexler did, where Trex made you feel fear and worry, this man brought a smile to people’s faces the moment he entered the room, and there held no reasoning behind this other than that the man himself was radiating such positivity that both Gavin and Kara were struck by it. He sits down in a chair not far from them and grabs a glass bottle filled with a murky brown liquid that they knew as whiskey, the foul stench reaching their nostrils in seconds. He poured himself a drink and raised the glass slightly before drinking.

“Burnie, Burnie Burns, I’ll be your mentor" he grins, setting the glass down against the dark wood, Burnie’s eyes only slightly resembled the deep blues of the walls around them, his a far more inky blue that could easily be mistaken for brown or even black in some lights, but if the light his his eyes _just_ right, the ravenous seas was clear in his iris’. Gavin and Kara nodded to each other and turned back to Burnie, he wasn’t old, but he was far older than the fourteen and sixteen year old in the room, meaning that he held an aura of maturity about him, which calmed Gavin a bit, they needed someone with a steady head.

"You’ve never played in the games" Kara blurts out too quickly for her brain to have analysed her sentence, she regretted the statement the moment it was out, it was evident on her face.

"No, but I have watched and re-watched every single one of the games since they began. I know what people are capable of and I know what they want to find, more importantly I know what _you_ want to find." Burnie sat forward in his chair, his elbows rested against his knees and his hands clasped together, although his eyes held no discontentment, he seemed to be surveying them both, sizing them up already.

"And what will we want to find, exactly?" Gavin questions, his thick eyebrows knitting together quizzically.

"Sponsors" Burnie answered, and that was all, that was all they needed. If they had those, they could survive anything.

"So you’re going to help us get sponsors " Kara pushed, assuring herself they were put into the right hands.

"Of course, I have people working on it already." His answering smile was both comforting and oddly worrying, Gavin seemed to trust this man, but there was something that seemed manic about him, something that screamed psycho, but perhaps that what they needed, especially if Gavin and Kara were going to remain so calm.

"Top" Gavin said, laying back on the chair again and awaiting his arrival in the Capitol.

__

The trip on the train does not last but half a day, meaning the recap of the Reapings would have to wait until they arrived at their destination, and it was more than he could see more than he could hear; The Capitol was alive with so many colours that it hurt is brain to think of all of them being in the same place at once. There were people with bright yellow hair and lime green skin, some with pink and some with blues and purples, some had mixtures of colours and other people merely styled their hair in the largest and weirdest creations possible. There were hundreds of people awaiting his and Kara’s arrival, cheering us into the building, it was all a bit morbid, really. They were cheering because in a couple of weeks they would be watching us fight for our lives. The building could engulf the whole of District Four quite happily, Trexler had disappeared and Burnie was showing them up the stairs to their living area for tonight, they would move tomorrow. They head up their flights of stairs and are shown around their floor, as they enter another flood of cyans and coral greens hits them in their faces. the kitchen had marble counter tops, the deep mahogany wood and the azures and emeralds that lie around the whole room is as comforting as the sea in summer, there are sea shells adorning the walls alongside tridents and steering wheels from ships, it has to be said that the Capitol do their best to make every District know what industry they’re involved in. The lounge is much more plain, whites and blacks fill the room and there’s a large flat-screen TV hanging from the wall, a black metal framed table sits in the center between the white sofas with it’s glass top, reflecting back the room surrounding it. The bedrooms are large and comfortably furnished and the dining room is all set out for a meal.

"Food!" Gavin exclaims taking his place at the large table, not even noticing the women who stand around the apartment floor, waiting. There’s at least twelve seats surrounding the table, which makes no sense to Gavin at all since there are only four people that he knows should be in here; Himself, Kara, Trexler and Burnie. It is only when Gavin is seated that he noticed the grey skinned man standing at the door, his lips pressed into a thin line, and it is only when he has a plateful of food sitting in front of him that he notices they have guests they are silent and their eyes show nothing but fear and remorse. Gavin suddenly feels tense and uncomfortable and refuses to eat much, Kara had noticed straight away and Gavin could kick himself for not noticing earlier.

They ate in relative silence and went to watch the Reapings of the other Districts.

District One is as glamorous as always, everyone wears sparkly clothes and their hair is shiny and full, their skin flawless. A girl named Griffon and a boy named Geoff volunteered and they both looked fierce and ready for a battle. The boy had short chopped hair and a smattering of what could be stubble beginning to grow on his chin. He was old, perhaps in his last year, the girl however seemed much younger with her short blonde hair pulled back in pigtails, her eyes held childishness and a fierceness you would expect to see in a mother tigress protecting her cubs..

District Two is much the same as One but District Two wear lots of dark colours, wear lots of metal. A pair were called up relatively quickly from this District. A boy named Ryan and a woman named Melee They were from District Two, making them skilled and dangerous.

District Three deals with technology and therefore are skilled at finding little mechanic traps and are good at making them again from the tools they find. District Three have two tributes, a man with odd coloured hair, the weather was bright and sunny and the light hit off of his hair giving off different colours, in some parts his hair looked red and in others it looked a deep brown, curls clung to his head and his glasses were black rimmed much like Burnie’s, his name was Michael, the girl that was called up was well built, strong shoulders. This girl was much like the female from District One in that they both held ferocity and childishness in their features.

District Four was up and Gavin watches as Kara makes her way up the stairs tiny and frail. So small. And then watches himself, he seems stiff and not quite there, he wonders if the other Districts have their eye out, pin pointing his weaknesses already.

District Five’s industry was all about power, all about science. Electric, solar and nuclear. Power in it’s purest sense. Not the most skilled of fighters but heck, they were scary given the right terrain. Their tributes were rather odd, one had a sweet light mocha colour to his skin, short black neatly trimmed hair and glasses to match Burnie’s as well as the curly haired man from District Three, the woman was blonde like the lady from One, had a nose piercing like hers as well, a septum ring that oddly suited the both of them.

District Six’s tributes were rather ordinary, a boy named Jordan who seemed to be about the age of seventeen, he was older than the other kids but wasn’t quite the oldest, he had dull almost brown hair but nice eyes, he held a light bounce in his step and seemed to be bright and cheery, the woman who he was with - Whom of which Gavin had forgotten her name already - was darker, she had almost black hair and dark wicked eyes that held no light, the opposite of the boy.

District Seven were a bit different than the other Districts, their children worked from a young age, needing all the money they could receive from the Capitol, Their citizens were rather well kept, though it was evident they were not as well off as the higher Districts. Their first tribute, a woman with long blonde hair that was obviously kept clean and neat, bounded up the steps, as if she’d been waiting for this moment her whole life. Her name was Barbara, the man, eighteen and already sporting a nice, thick beard in the making, made his way up the stairs much slower, fear laced in every movement. His name was Jack, Gavin could almost hear District One and Two laughing at him already.

Eight, Nine and Ten were all very similar, they were all pretty poor, 10 being the poorest, although still better off than the last two. Eight’s Tributes, A man named Miles and a women named Arryn, were both confident as they made their way up to the podium, strength and skill hidden behind their movements, ones to watch out for. Nine specialized in ‘Grain’, this was all that was known about the District, they were very quiet, but Gavin had noticed that they also have some of the deadliest killers. Their female tribute had beautiful wheat coloured hair and bright green eyes that contrasted greatly with the deep brown of the male tribute’s, his hair and eyes almost black, he was a handsome man that was tall and thin, his name was Chris. Ten were the last District that anyone paid much attention to, Eleven and Twelve were far too underfed and poor to train their children and far too reckless to even be considered a threat. Ten’s industry was livestock, and their people were well fed and what they didn’t eat got sent to the Capitol or sold within the District, their tributes were both terribly young, a young boy with sandy coloured hair - a duller shade than that of Gavin’s - who had clearly been well fed, much like the young girl who had trampled up the metal stairs to the podium before him had trembled the whole way up. She was fourteen and he was a meager twelve.

And may the odds ever be in your favor.


	3. Tributes Parade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Because I needed an RT!Games fic and…I’m not sorry.

Burnie is a very good mentor, he asks them what their strengths are and he works with them, works on talking about the other Districts and how they are most likely to fight. He mentions a few that Gavin remembered watching the night before, He mentioned how thick shouldered Ryan and Jack were and how there technique would be the power weapons, to stay clear of the girl Barbara because she was nimble and tall, she would work up high with throwing knives. Burnie mentioned the ones from District One, Geoff and Griffon, They were both finely built and would use long swords, preferring the closer kill. Burnie was good at explaining how sponsors would take them, they had to be charismatic had to show they were worth using their money for. This meant they had to stand out, had to be brighter than everyone else. 

Although Burnie warned us more about the stylists, they were rough and didn’t much care about being gentle. There job was to make you pretty and nothing more, the later districts would still be on the train and be taken away as soon as they left, only the earlier districts got here early enough to have a night before anything so invasive was to happen to them, but the ceremony was soon. They were due to meet the stylists soon and neither Kara or Gavin much enjoyed the sound of them.

When Gavin and Kara are taken to the stylists they seem kind enough, Gavin has a man named Cru, who had rich dark skin and whom had dyed his hair a luminous green to match his suit that sat atop a navy blue shirt, silver tattoos lined the side of his face. He works quickly with a girl named Rhoadia who strips his chest of any hair that had grown and removed the smattering of stubble that had found it’s way onto the teen’s chin, the stylists cut and shape his hair, sweeping it up and off to the left, they mumble about his nose but resign to their jobs, scrubbing Gavin’s body till he no longer smelled of fish, it was odd, he had not thought he had stunk so richly until the smell, and a minimum of four layers of skin had been removed from his body. The stylists apologize if ever he winces, if ever he grits his teeth. They have an odd way of speaking, how they form their ‘S’s and how at the end of every sentence they seem to ask a question without ever being quizzical.

"Wait until you meet Allisania, she does the most amazing things with he tributes" Rhoadia coos, assuring him he is in the right hands.

"I’m sure she does." Gavin forces a smile and raises his voice an octave, not intentionally mimicking their way of speaking. They seem to brighten further, which is a feat in itself, as Rhoadia seemed to have dyed her body a deep yellow, contrasting with her cherry red locks. Cru and Rhoadia coo all over again and admire their work, he stood before them naked, and though he should feel self conscious and humiliated, the Capitol’s people almost didn’t feel like humans, and it made Gavin feel a whole lot better. Once they’ve finished admiring their work Cru shoos Rhoadia away and tells her to call Allisania.

It’s not long before the two stylists have disappeared somewhere and a rather beautiful lady makes her way into the room, her skin is either dyed white or she was naturally pale as a sheet, her eyelashes were long and were tipped with tiny diamantes, not big enough to really be noticed but enough to add that little shimmer at the end, it was nice. She held her hair in a classic messy bun, a lime green that oddly suited her. She was definitely attractive and someone who knew how to dress herself, it wasn’t much, but her lime green military style jacket cut to her mid waist and revealed a plain black vest underneath it, black jeans that clung to her skin and the same lime green from her jacket was found on the laces of her high heeled styled trainers, an odd ensemble. 

"Allisania, I’m your stylist", she introduces herself, her voice a whole octave higher than Rhoadia’s, although she seemed to have a drawl instead of the usual Capitol’s pronunciation. Gavin merely nods and swallows, the woman’s answering smile is reassuring and Gavin knows that she’s here to do her best. Allisania circled Gavin, taking in his physique and scrutinising it. “You’re attractive, anyway, you’ll win the ladies hearts." Gavin fights the urge to roll his eyes and tries for a complimentary smile.

"Thank you."

She grins and motions him to put his robe on, they wander through to a large room with the same coral blue couches from his bedroom back in the large monolith the walls are stark white and are only adorned with various paintings of the Capitol in all of its glory, the wall they face when they walk in is glass, complete glass from floor to ceiling Gavin can see over the city and it takes his breath away for a moment. Even in District Four, which is not the poorest of Districts, has nothing of this sort back home. There homes are cabins at a lake side with a few wooden buildings for stores.

"You know how the costumes work, right?" She asks him, her voice ringing high and clear, Gavin nods curtly.

"They reflect our District’s industry."

"And you are from Four, correct?" She pauses and continues only when Gavin confirms this fact. “Your industry is fishing." She stops, giving a deep grin and sitting back in the plush couch, reaching over only to press a button on the table, it halves itself and from beneath comes their dinner. Gavin stares at the sight and shakes his head, how the Capitol never ceases to shock him.

"So you’re going to put us in haddock suits or something, right?" He raises an eyebrow and reaches forward for the meal in front of him, chicken drizzled in gravy with an assortment of vegetables.

"Not quite, me and my partner, who’s working on your friend, Kara, have decided to focus more on where the fish come from." She picks at her food and takes a moment before shoving a mouthful into her mouth, Gavin laughs, her movements reminding him of George, he missed his brother deeply already.

"The sea." Gavin states, his meal half demolished already, it was too good to refuse.

"Exactly." 

Gavin and Kara meet down below, they are ready for the ceremonies and the Districts before them are dressed spectacularly. Loud and outrageous costumes that represented each District perfectly. Rich sultry purples and golds for One, Metallic silvers and coppery browns for Two. District One were already out, the horses drawing their carriage towards the city centre. Two soon follows and then Three. Allisania and Kara’s stylist are with us, giving us luck and pushing them on our way. At the last moment Allisania hands Gavin a large trident, strong and firm in his grip, Kara is given a harpoon. They stand atop the carriage and nod to each other. They can do this. The carriage is pulled by two beautiful horses, both the same shade of golden sand, they supposed this was purposeful. As soon as they were out a rush of light and screams were heard, Gavin took this time to see exactly how Kara’s outfit suited her. A beautiful long dress that hugged her figure until the waist and then fell out in long waves to the ground. She was the ocean crashing into the sandy beaches, her dress was green and white and blue and every colour all at once, the bottom of each wave was an explosion of white, the foaming water as it reaches its destination. Gavin’s was simple and probably the least extravagant of all of the Districts. Less is more, or so Allisania had promised him. He wore a crisp white shirt and a waist coat that drained into Kara’s gown perfectly. Plain black trousers and black shoes with cyan blue laces. They were the ocean, they were calm and fierce at the same time, they were peaceful and aggressive forgiving and vengeful. There costumes were not only to represent their District’s industry but to represent themselves as fighters. They were the ocean and you do not get between the ocean and it’s destination. 

The cheers and roars of “District Three" are dizzying and exciting, they course through Gavin’s blood, his confidence of the Games rising with every yell of ‘Gavin Free’, he is outstanding and he knows it. He waves to the crowd and he is soon covered in roses. his ears filled with screams all over again. The twenty minutes that it takes to reach the city centre is nothing, it lasts but a blink of an eye and Gavin is hungry to get back out, hungry to be the centre of attention again. They listen to President Snow and listen to the anthem, the cameras are shooting around and hang on District Three that little bit longer, some of the other costumes are ridiculous and downright awful, but they suppose the purpose of this ceremony was to be recognised, but the thought remained that people would discuss the tributes dressed as wheat or the ones so covered in make-up that their appearance was completely obscured. This was why only Kara had any sort of make-up on, and even then it was only a touch of some things. Gavin gets a small fright when the chariot he and Kara are standing on begins to make its way to the Training centre and as the doors close behind us we are all surveying each other, we are all judging immediately, deciding who was best to team up with and whom and who were the easiest targets. Everything was methodical, planned already.

Each District where led up onto their very own floor. Twelve floors for Twelve Districts, 4th was the 4th District, not hard to remember, they both walk up and the room is very similar, if not exact to the room they had stayed in previously. Gavin and Kara collapse onto the cyan couches and sigh deeply, exhausted after a long day. 

"They looked at us like we were meals" Kara says, breathless.

"We are, for now."

And tomorrow the training begins.


	4. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I needed an RT!Games fic and…I’m not sorry.

The training was held in a large room with a higher ceiling than the room was wide by a fair amount, rafters hung down from the ceiling and held obstacles upright, there were different stations for different skills. Branches and thin planks of wood for testing agility, plants and weeds to test your botany skills, all sorts of paints and dyes in one corner for camouflage the station to learn how to tie knots. Then there was the station that held all the weapons, knives and swords hung against the far wall, glinting light from the overhead lamps, spears stood vertically to the swords’ left, their points had been sharpened recently and the tip looked precarious even from here. All twenty four children were placed into this room and as you’d imagine District One had chosen the long swords, Two looked towards the different types of material that would give them the most protection in battle and so on. They made no waste in trying out everything. The girl from District One would switch between blades and the camouflage centre, trying out different paints and dyes often found in woodland areas, The pair from District Three are off to the side playing with the wires in some gadget they’d found. The woman from District Eight was busy working on some sort of blanket in the corner and her counter part seemed to be very lively, if his flailing arms and light hearted voice were anything to go by. The Districts were in full movement. The mocha skinned man from District Five was jumping along some wood shouting “Parkour" as he made his way along, he was surprisingly nimble and landed on each branch without so much as wobbling. The man from District Seven, Jack, had seemed like a frightened kitten at the Reaping but now stood with power and comfort with an axe in his hand, he was scary to say the least. Gavin, though skilled with a harpoon, was far more comfortable holding onto a bow an arrow, the archery equipment from the Capitol was not all that much heavier than in his own district, and his aim was not hurt in it’s unusual weight. 

While Gavin was looking around the stations, the boy who’d been on the large obstacle course jumped down in front of him with a large, silly grin on his face. He could only have been a year younger than Gavin.

"Parkour!" He yells, though he’s only jumped about a foot from the obstacle course, and not even from a height. Gavin laughs at him, his eyebrows raising.

"You’re from Five, right. Ray or something?" Gavin asked, stopping the teen before he rushed off to jump onto the course again. 

"Sure, Gavin right?" He responded, his hands stuffing themselves inside his pocket. Gavin replies with a nod, opening his mouth to ask him about his ‘parkour’ing before being cut off by another voice.

"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT" All twenty three tributes turn to the curly haired man who had been trying to work on making an electrical trap that had ultimately caught on himself. Gavin can’t help but laugh loudly, eyes now turning to him. The curly haired man scowls and turns on Gavin. “This isn’t fucking funny, you asshole!" He yells as he hobbles over to Gavin, forcing the teen to laugh harder, holding onto his stomach. By the time the man had reached Gavin people were already wagering on who would throw the the first punch, instead the angry man had started to laugh as well, ending his fury with “Okay, it was kinda fuckin’ funny" 

"Now, now children" Chimed two voices at once, Geoff from District One and Lindsay from Michael’s - the temperamental teen who had just caught his leg in a minor trap - District Five. The pair look at each other and laugh a little. Ray turned to Gavin and shrugged.

"I don’t fuckin’ know what’s going on now." 

It seemed Michael had broken a barrier the kids didn’t know was there, hidden just behind tension. The fear of growing close to any of the children. Conversations broke out all over the place, conversations about their Districts and how different they are to everyone else’s, about how many extra times their names have been put into the reaping due to additional food given to them by the District’s Justice building, District One and Two were exceptionally shocked at those stories. They had seemed to split off into little groups. Districts One through Five had made a small group, including Jack from District Seven, everyone else had their own smaller groups. They talked amongst themselves and slowly broke away from the middle to continue training. It was worth remembering that in a week these people would be trying to kill them. Geoff preferred swords and taught Michael how to use one properly, and in return Michael would help Geoff with his technology knowledge. Gavin had always preferred archery but took lessons on camouflage from Griffon, learning how to mask himself in the jungle, and in other biospheres. She was an artist in the truest sense of the word and there was no woman kinder than her, she had a kind heart and a kind face, it broke Gavin’s heart to see her here in these games. Griffon deserved a life, just like everyone else Gavin had met here. 

The following week helped Gavin find out things about the tributes that he wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for Michael breaking the ice. Courtney was an artist just the same as Griffon, even if their methods were a bit different from each others. Michael had a terribly short temper but he was a kind and loveable man, a great ally. Ray was funny and laid back, he wasn’t much for fussing over anything. Jack, on the other hand, was a perfectionist and demanded everything be just right. Barbara was just as bubbly as she seemed, she enjoyed really bad puns and seemed to be fitting herself into the role of ‘little sister’ inside the group. Geoff seemed to have taken the role of ‘daddy’ on, he was a natural leader and his swordsman ship was beyond anything Gavin had every seen, if fighting was an art form Geoff was a masterpiece. Kerry was small but he was way more mature than anyone had thought, he was funny and loud, and skilled with a knife. Chris was unnaturally skilled with a sickle, scarily skilled, in fact. Chris was also humorous maybe not to the extent of Michael and Ray but he still had his quirkiness about him. Miles was a nerd in the truest sense of the word but it made him so much fun to be around. It went for all of the tributes, they were all amazing in their own way and all terribly scary when holding a weapon. They were well trained, save Ten, Eleven and Twelve, perhaps. 

When Friday came it was a shock to the system for everyone, they had grown into friends, into people to laugh around and generally enjoy being within the vicinity of, they had ongoing jokes and they had all shared their own tips and tricks and they were a large family of twenty four, brothers and sisters and at the head of it all Geoff and Griffon looked after them, and now…now they had to show the Capitol their skills and be ranked before they are put in front of an audience in a last attempt to gain Sponsors and then, eventually they would be sent to the arena to murder their friends. That was the cruel fate of the Hunger Games. 

The Districts were called out in order starting with the men, and the room they had been sat in while waiting was terribly quiet, no one wanted to say anything, even though they knew this was exactly what they were training for this whole week. Geoff is called up first and he gives an apologetic nod to everyone before he leaves. Everyone seems too distressed, tense and uncomfortable. 

"I’m just gonna go in and skip, shout ‘Parkour!’, and then leave" Ray starts, breaking the silence and the ice as easily as the little asshat could. Ray, like Michael, had this aura about him that was just so easy to love, so incredibly difficult to hate. 

"I’m sure you’d get a 12 for that, dude" Michael chimes in, giving a loud laugh, his shoulders shaking.

"So can I just walk in and say ‘Top’?" Gavin interjects, trying to be helpful.

"You fucking idiot, Gavin" Michael throws back at him, but in moments they are laughing, brushing off insults because, hell, insults were the least of their worries.

It didn’t take long before Gavin was being called up just before Kara and he made his way nervously through. It was an odd feeling, he’d already been as scared as he could be during the reaping, but this was more of a self conscious fear. Fear of not being good enough. This was the test. The room he entered was the usual training room with everything in it’s place just waiting for the tributes to enter. The men on the far side of the room were already judging him and he’d only just entered the room.

"Gavin Free, District Four" He announced himself and they nodded, allowing him to continue, He turns to his left and decides on picking up a spear first and without any hesitation forces the stick forward, the weight of the pole added with the force of Gavin’s push sent the spear hurtling through the air and dead centre on the marker about fifteen yards opposite to Gavin. He hears murmurs of approval and moves on to pick up a bow and arrow, there’s now quizzical hums bouncing off of the walls. Gavin lifts the bow and takes his aim, resting the string against the corner of his mouth and taking a deep breath, he lets it out slowly and repeats the motion, letting go when he was breathing out, hitting it dead centre, he pulls out another and repeats the motion without a second hesitation he has the target spotted and he’s releasing the arrow, he doesn’t split the arrow in two, but he does splinter it when it lands right next to the previous arrow. He turns back to the men and they send him on his way, Gavin bows and leaves. Sent up to his floor to eat and sleep.


	5. Let the Games Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I needed an RT!Games fic and…I’m not sorry.

Crowded around the TV was Trexler, Brian, Kara, Gavin and even Allissania to see the results, the man on the screen had a pale blue tone to his skin and large bright hair that didn’t seem to sit quite right, his eyebrows were speckled with gold and his eyelids had deep blue flicks from the corner coming from each end. Caesar Flickerman sat with another man who was much less opinionated than himself and together they re-capped the Reapings quickly and mentioned a few stand out contestants, Gavin among them. Caesar took his time getting to the actual results, dragging it out as long as he could with commercials and products that were available for Sponsors to buy for their tributes. 

When he finally got around to announcing Tribute One’s results, Gavin swallowed hard, he knew how talented Geoff and Griffon were and no doubt they would both be higher than a nine. When Caesar read out their names and their numbers Gavin nodded, a knot slowly forming in his gut. Both received tens; they were strong, dangerous. District Two was Ryan and their female tribute, Ryan was a brute of a man but was friendly and kind, he looked like a bear and acted like a kitten. He received an eight, not bad but not exactly great either. The woman from his district received only a seven, terrible in the eyes of their District, no doubt. District Three was Michael and Lindsay, they both received high marks, Michael a ten and Lindsay a nine.Gavin held his breath and didn’t dare let it out until his name was called.

“Gavin Free…eleven" Allisannia patted his back, a large smile spreading across her face, Burnie let out his own breath, leaning back and covering his face, giving a relieved laugh. Trexler only nodded his approval. Eleven. The highest yet. Well, until Kara gained another eleven. He smiles brightly and ruffles her hair, she fusses and slaps his shoulder but gives him a happy grin back. The reports went on and Gavin only watched for his friends now, shocked at how high a score Kerry had received though when Gavin had seen him in the training building it was rarely, he was a good hider. The lowest score given was to Twelve’s tributes, young and clueless, Gavin had seen them in the building and they were no threat, they were everyone’s first targets, no matter how horrible it sounded, they had to remember that everyone would be trying to win.

After the rankings, Caesar gave everyone an interview, it was really to make yourself admirable to people, make yourself seem human, made the games more entertaining for the people of the Capitol. The interviews weren’t so bad, it was were you gave yourself a name, you made yourself worth remembering, well…after the tributes parade. District One were to be the favourites every year, though, and this year was no different. Not that it made a difference, Geoff and Griffon were amazing and deserved all of the attention they’d been receiving from the Capitol, although a few from the latter Districts also deserved attention.

The downside to the interview was knowing that the Games started the following day, it did nothing to calm anyone’s peace of mine. Gavin couldn’t get rid of the memories of the other Games, how brutally some kids murdered each other, how easy it was for them to take the life of a child not much older or younger than themselves. Gavin thought about murdering the people he had met and gotten to know over the week and his chest constricted. The feeling didn’t disappear that day, not even when he laid his head down to sleep.

The morning brought a rush of anxiety and fear through Gavin’s veins, pulsing through his entire body, he woke in a cold sweat, Trexler was looming over him, his dark eyes baring down into Gavin’s menacing and harsh.

“Get up, boy. We don’t have time for you sleeping in" Gavin merely glares at him and throws his legs over the side of the bed, forcing the tightened not in his stomach to loosen.

“Yes, your highness, anything your highness" He puts as much acidity as he can muster up at the time into his voice. Trexler glares back but makes his way stiffly from Gavin’s room, Gavin stands and grabs his clothes, he heads towards the shower. When he gets to the Arena he will change into the track suit they are given, for now he dresses in casual jeans and a shirt, something comfortable that won’t make him too nervous.

The morning is tense and quiet and nobody says anything except Burnie, trying to lighten to mood and failing miserably, it is himself and Trexler who makes the journey with Trexler to the building that would, in a couple of hours, decide the fate of the young sixteen year old. Gavin was placed into a room by himself, with only Allisania there to wish him luck. Gavin sucks in a deep gust of air and releases it slowly, calming himself before his body falls into shock. Allisannia says the only thing she can at that moment without messing anything up.

“Win" With that Gavin is placed into the cylinder tube and is told not to step off before the timer runs out, if he did then he would be blown up for sure, and lose before he’s even begun. The circular platform he’s standing on begins to rise and Gavin’s stomach flips and turns, his legs are shaking and he can’t seem to make them stop. He does his bet to ground his feet to the ground, hoping to disguise some of his shaking. The platform continues to rise and he’s just about high enough to make out trees, lots of trees and vines and colourful plants all around them, some Gavin recognised and others he had no clue about, the higher he rose the more he saw. They were in a large opening with the cornucopia off to the far left, every weapon imaginable was there, bags filled to the brim with necessities, if Gavin had learned anything, it was to take one of the bags and hope for a weapon later. The other Tributes were coming into view and no one dared look each other in the eye, they all knew what was about to happen and not a single soul had the heart to kill anyone. The more Gavin avoided eye contact, the more he saw the arena, to the immediate right, far off in the distance Gavin could swear that there was a mountain, although the mountain was far too steep and flat topped to be any mountain he’d seen. It was a volcano, and by the looks of the thick white smoke pouring from the top, it was an active one. There were hills and waterfalls, trees and shrubbery everywhere, it was a hunters paradise and a prays hell.

The bell sounded and there wasn’t a moment that Gavin could pick out clearly, kids made for the forest straight away, only the minority, the majority made a dash for the cornucopia. Gavin lowered his body and gained some speed, ducking under a few people as he forced his feet to move faster. Everyone else was doing the same thing, looking around and watching for any sly attacks. It was all so fast that it only came in flashes to Gavin, he picked up a large bag and hoped it contained something good, while everyone else ran inside to get to most dangerous of weapons, Gavin took his opportunity to grab a nearby sword, thick and heavy and perfect in Gavin’s grasp. There was a large blast as a cannon sounded and it burst through Gavin’s mind like someone had shot a gun against his ears. He ran, he ran for the woods in the opposite direction that the others had. Another cannon sounds. The branches and twigs groan and snap beneath Gavin’s heavy footing, loosing breath already. Another cannon sounds and another straight after. Gavin’s not sure whether the pounding is the cannon or the blood in his head now because it’s continuous.one after another. Gavin pushes his weight forward, forces his body to push itself to its limits. He finds himself deep within the forest and far enough away from anyone else to worry for now.

He pulls the bag from his back and opens it up, there’s a few knifes, matches, a few dyes and what not, rope and even some bread. He puts everything back in and he moves on forward, looking for any sort of shelter that he could take some comfort in. 

A few hours is all it takes and Gavin finds a small cave, one small enough to at least create some foliage that would cover the entirety of the mouth of the cave. Which is what he does, it takes him till sundown, but he doesn’t hear a soul while he works. It’s a squeeze for Gavin to get in and he has to take the bag off and shove it in front of him, and even then his he pressed downwards by how low the roof is, still…it’s enough to keep him safe for that night. He’s only just relaxing when there’s a bright light from outside the cave, he peers out and sure enough there is the Capitol’s insignia in the sky. They show us the first fallen.

Jordan from District Six is dead, the lovely young man who had seemed like the sort to do so well in the games had been one of the first to die in the initial bloodbath. The boys from Districts Eleven and Twelve are down and that was it for now. Usually there would have been around eight down already but Gavin had seen these guys in action and they were fighters; they were strong. Gavin slowly wriggles back down into the cave again and closes his eyes, forcing the beating of his heart to slow considerably. It takes a good hour before he’s anywhere close to falling asleep, but it does happen, and not for long.

And let the Games…begin.


	6. The Games Continue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I needed an RT!Games fic and…I’m not sorry.

Gavin jolts awake - his eyes flash open and his heart beats erratically for a moment. He’s positive he heard a sound, and when the snapping of twigs passes behind the cave again, he’s certain. He holds his breath and waits, the snapping comes closer and Gavin’s body is shaking, his legs feel weak and wobbly beneath his weight, especially when he moves to a crouched position. As he does this, he pulls out the small knife from the bag, his breathing heavy and irregular. The feet cross the opening and Gavin can only vaguely make them out from behind the leaves. Gavin does without thinking, he has to, he pushes his weight forward and slices across, blood shoots from the gash across the person’s Achilles heels, they fall to the ground and Gavin recognises them as the woman from District ten, although it was never going to be easier, it made it somewhat softer on his conscience that he did not know the girl. He raises the knife and pounds it down into her heart, her body jerks and there’s a steady stream of blood when he pulls the knife back. Gavin backs away to grab his rucksack and there’s a boom from the cannon, announcing her death to the arena. Gavin moves on without a second glance back, now aware of every rustling of the leaves, of every snapped twig.

On the other side of the arena, the young boy from Ten was hidden amongst the bushes, listening to the older pair from District Eight, the hairy man and the woman with the boys name. Kerry remained hidden and waited for his opportunity, they were vulnerable when alone and strong together, he had watched their comradery for a while now, and noticed how they played off each other’s strengths and weaknesses. From what he’d seen, the man was kind and loving and did not wish harm upon anyone, and as much as the young boy hated hurting anything, killing someone who he had come to know as a friend was going to be that much harder. Which was why Arryn was his target for now. 

They’d been arguing about food, they were already hungry and neither of them knew which plants were safe to eat and which were poisonous, their bright colours and sweet, luring scents could fool even a skilled hunter. Miles said he was to go hunting and that Arryn was to stay here, were it was safe, Arryn argued that she could go with him but her argument was cut short by the look in Miles’ eyes. He wasn’t about to lose his friend, and he was definitely not about to lose Arryn. Kerry is still and quiet while they continue to silently argue for a while, both pleading with only their gazes. Miles eventually leaves and Arryn kept up her guard, her eyes darting all around her, A cannon sounds from somewhere in the sky and Arryn jumps and turns away. Kerry shoots forward and it’s a quick, clean cut across the jugular. Blood pours from the wound and Kerry’s hand is covered in moist, hot red. Another boom to announce Arryn’s death and Kerry is off, high in the trees and hiding from pray, from the others. More cannons go off and Kerry doesn’t have time to wonder who killed who, only time to run.

In the north of the arena Geoff had stood over her body for a long time, her eye lids having been closed some time ago, he holds her body cradled in his arms, he doesn’t do much, just sobs. Her body had turned cold maybe ten minutes ago and Geoff had just kept kissing her face, urging her to come back to him, she couldn’t be gone. The longer he held onto her body the more furious he grew. He was a District One and no matter how much he cried he would never bring her back. Instead he moved, laid her body down and gave her forehead a tender kiss before running off, vengeance in his heart. He remembered the shock and disbelief in the young man’s eyes and remembered which way the coward had ran. It doesn’t take him long before he finds the mocha skinned man, he hadn’t ran far before collapsing, breathing heavy and fast choked sobs caught in his own throat.

"You killed her, you dirty son of a bitch!" Geoff cried, his sword being withdrawn from it’s sheath.

"I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was Griffon!" His voice came thick and broken, Geoff couldn’t recognise that, if he focused on Ray’s emotion he would let him go, and with the fiery hate burning in his heart he couldn’t do that.

"What good your fucking apology does, asshole, she’s dead. DEAD, Ray." He shouts, there’s a rustle and Geoff swings without thinking, power and hatred behind his actions. It’s only when his sword hit flesh that he bothered to turn and look. 

Courtney. Courtney fell quickly, convulsing as blood pours from the wide gash in her stomach, entrails following quickly behind. There’s an agonising scream that Geoff could have mistaken for his own only 20 minutes ago. Ray drops to his knees, crawling to his fallen comrade, he doesn’t know what else to do except hold her hand as she watches him, blinking slowly and then not at all. He cries and cries, and he’s not sure he can ever stop, he’s not sure he can get up. Geoff stands, watching him. 

“A tooth for a tooth, you bastard" Geoff says, resentment laced into his words.

"Kill me." Ray orders, he stands and he’s not sure how but he manages it in the end, his hands covered in blood, his face streaked with tears, he’s hiccuping and can’t stop. Ray wobbles but makes his way towards Geoff. He lifts the sword and leaves the point at his heart. “Kill me, you fucking coward." he spits in Geoff’s face, an anger so ferocious it takes Geoff aback, contorts the young man’s features. 

"Your hearts already dead." Geoff says simply, the swords tip falling to the ground, still held comfortably in Geoff’s grip. “It’s your brain that still thinks it’s beating" and with that Geoff raises the sword above his head, grabbing hold of the hilt in both of his hands and screaming with the force it takes him to drag it down. Those last moments for Ray are quiet, everything is quiet and slow, the forest doesn’t make a sound and the only thing he can hear is his own heart beating, he watched Geoff, watched the hatred and resentment, watched the loss of love over his features. Ray knew he had to die, had to be with Courtney, they could not be brought together only to be torn apart in this way, this way will bring him to her. He closes his eyes and whispers ‘See you soon’ into the air. Geoff’s sword buries itself into Rays skull, splitting it down the middle with a horrible blood curdling crunch, it takes Geoff a few tries to pull the sword embedded into his brain but it does release itself, he looks down and notices the bow and arrows held in Courtney’s possession. He takes the quiver filled with metallic arrows and throws it around his shoulder, the opposite way to how he sets the bow over his body. He walks away, two consecutive cannon bursts left behind him. Two more follow and Geoff doesn’t even flinch.

~~~

In the following weeks there are twelve deaths. Geoff and Gavin had met up and tag teamed against Jack and Ryan, they were strong, and fierce, but their strength played against them and left them wide open for Gavin’s bow and arrow and that opened up more space for Geoff, they were unstoppable. Miles took down Kerry in the end, after finding out about Arryn, the girls from 11 and 12 died from starvation, and Gavin didn’t know how the others had been killed, not yet.

Every night they would appear in the sky. Diamonds in the sky, a running joke between Geoff and Gavin. The fallen tributes are in the sky every night, hauntingly huge, staring down at them all.

From District One Griffon had died, Geoff was not taking it well, even weeks after. It was obvious in the bags under Geoff’s eyes.

Ryan and his female tribute had died, the female died from poisoning, Geoff said he watched her pick up the dreaded berries, didn’t have the guts to tell her to stop. District Two were out.

Lindsay died because of Kara, Kara’s throwing knifes were far more dangerous than anyone had realized till then. Gavin watched from afar as Lindsay’s body hit the ground with a loud, disturbing thud, had watched as his curly hair friend had gone to her side, had cradled her till her body ran cold and his hands were covered in her blood. Vengeance killed Kara. Michael survived and District 3 were still in with a chance.

Gavin was the soul survivor of District Four, lethal with his bow and a lot more observant than anyone had thought.

Gavin was most confused when he’d first seen Ray’s name up in the sky. It couldn’t have been, though when he asked Geoff all he could say was “We had a deal" Gavin got the weird feeling that Geoff was lying to him but there was nothing to base his suspicions on. The girl from his district had died as well. District Five was out.

The only survivor passed this was Chris, he had been unbelievably quiet throughout the games, and no one was sure they knew where he was. 

Only Five remained now; Geoff, Michael, Gavin, Barbara and Chris.

The end of the games was nearing.


	7. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I needed an RT!Games fic and…I’m sorry.

Throughout the weeks Geoff and Gavin had found each other and had been keeping each other alive, watching each other’s backs. Though now, they were making their way back to the Cornucopia, hoping that the farther they wandered from the volcano, the more wildlife they could find, they had been living on cooked Mockingjays that Gavin shot down with his bow and arrow, but now they were craving something larger, something juicer than a tiny bird or squirrel. They’d been travelling for days now, and the volcano behind them was only getting more ferocious day by day, releasing ash clouds every now and then to block out the sun.   
"Dark as dicks out here." Geoff whined, pushing away the branches as he made his way south, Gavin rolled his eyes and gave a chuckle, he hadn’t talked much while travelling, his throat aching from the lack of water he’d been getting, they hadn’t found a lake in almost two days. 

"Do you think," Gavin begins to talk, no one had spoken in hours and Gavin’s mind was slowly going crazy with the lack of interaction, which wasn’t a good thing, Gavin’s mind often wandered over subjects that had no place in his mind. “When Ray died, he just said ‘I YOLO’d too hard, that was something he said, right? YOLO?" He bothers Geoff about it a bit more and picks up his pace when Geoff starts to speed up, fed up of Gavin’s ramblings, and not caring much about the mention of Ray.

"No, he said ‘See you soon’." He snaps back at the sandy haired teen, who had stopped in his tracks, staring wide eyed at the gruff man in front of him. Geoff didn’t stop moving, just shouted back for him to get his ass in gear.

"It was you." Gavin states, his mind not fully comprehending this fact, it wasn’t all that hard to wrap his brain around it, but Ray had been his friend, Ray had brought humour and joy to the training and was so terribly kind as a person that it was impossible to hate him. To think that this man had died at the hands of Geoff Ramsey, the man Gavin had entrusted his life to over the past weeks was ridiculous, utterly baffling. “That’s bonkers" Gavin breathes, hurrying after Geoff.

_"Shit! shit shit, god motherfuckin’ dammit you cocksucker."_ Geoff turns to look at Gavin and the teen nods, they both call out his name at the same time without even discussing who it could be, hell he could have written it on a note and the pair would know who it was. “Gavin? Geoff?" His voice came again from the left, not too far but definitely not close. Gavin and Geoff give a silent agreement that they would find Michael and they would go after the last two, well, that _had_ been their thought process until the cannon sounded. The pair wondered who it could be while they fought their way through shrubbery to get to the angry teen. Gavin could not stop smiling when he saw Michael, thankful to see a familiar face. Michael had evidently caught himself on his own trap, the spikes digging into his skin, patches of blood covered his track suit trousers. _"Shit"_ he hissed out when Geoff and Gavin helped him out, he was bleeding pretty bad and it took Geoff a while to make it stop, Gavin wasn’t squeamish about blood, but the thought of having to touch Michael’s torn skin made him gag.

Once Michael had his leg bandaged up it had just gone down hill. That night they had found out it had been Barbara who had died, the bubbly blonde who made both witty and horrific puns. The three men mourned her death but knew that now their only opponent was Chris from District Nine. It was three to one for now, easy pickings. Or, it had been until Michael showed them his wound, boils had popped up around the broken skin, boils filled with yellow puss that oozed down his leg, the wound still gaping and seeping blood. Michael’s leg was infected and it was quickly affecting his whole body. Within a few days he was having cold sweats and severe stabbing pains throughout his leg, sometimes screaming through till morning. Gavin sat with him every night, offering his arm when he had to be quietened when screaming, and if ever his teeth broke the skin Gavin would have to rinse his wound over and over again with water they’d found from a lake, that and cover it in leaves. Michael had been too late with the infection to do anything. He was in constant pain, never keeping his food down. His curls were now matted to his forehead with sweat, his skin was deadly cold and pale and his eyes never seemed to be sunken into his head, deep purple bruises circling his eyes.

"Kill me, Gavin" He whispered to him one night while Geoff was fast asleep, so quietly that Gavin could have mistaken it for the light breeze. He was horrified, refused. “You have to, you asshole" His words were thick and hoarse and always seemed forced, it was absolutely terrifying and heartbreaking for Gavin to watch, but he did, he watched every night as his friend drifted off into an uncomfortable and an unmerciful night’s sleep. 

"I can’t, Michael." Gavin refused, once again. “I’m not killing you, that’s it" he was determined. Michael shook his head, coughed up blood and had to spat it away from them. 

"Gavin make it stop, make the pain go away. _God FUCKING dammit, Gavin. Do what you’re fucking told for once."_ He swore and he cursed and Gavin’s heart pumped faster, achingly tight. 

"I _can’t_ , Michael, I _can’t_ kill you." Gavin can only look away and cover his ears when Michael pleads him this way, he’s so ill and sickly, in so much pain that killing him would be kinder.

"Get up, you pussy" Michael orders, his voice still finding command. Gavin stands shakily, his bow left over his chest and his quiver on his back. He refuses to look Michael in the eye, Gavin’s heart is in his throat and the only thing he can do is choke out a ‘Michael, please.’ before his next order is given.

"Pull off your bow and grab an arrow." Gavin does as he’s told, grabbing both, the sound of metal sliding against metal suddenly sickens him, his legs shaking. His stomach flips and refuses to sit in its normal position. Gavin feels like turning away and vomiting.

_"Shoot me in the head, Gavin"_ His final command, and one that Gavin found the hardest to follow. He pulls the arrow back and his stomach squeezes uncomfortably. 

"Don’t make me do this, Michael" He turns his head away and takes a deep breath, trying to discreetly wipe away the tears that had fallen, sniffing loudly. Michael was looking worse than ever, the effort it had taken to order Gavin about had taken so much life from the boy that he looked dead already.

"Team Nice Dynamite, Gavin. Forever, dude" Gavin choked back his sob as he heard the _fwoosh_ of the arrow past the bow, ignored the horrible thunk as it buried itself in Michael’s skull. He ignores the cannon booming and ignores Geoff’s startled awakening and cry of pain when he found Michael, when he found Gavin’s arrow lodged into his head. Gavin ignores the punches, takes every single knuckle breaking punch from Geoff and takes it when the man finally slumps into an exhausted sleep, the only think he can think to do in that moment was to sit, his eye quickly swelling and bruises forming along his abdomen and arms, pulling Michael up and moving his hair from his face. Gavin closes his eyes, allowing the next round of tears to fall as he curls his fingers around his arrow, biting his lip to hold back another sob as he yanks the arrow from Michael’s head. A single bead of blood flows from the circular wound and Gavin feels himself shake with the effort to not cry out. He knows the ship will arrive soon, to take his friends body away.

Gavin does not sleep that night, and he doesn’t sleep the night after, he doesn’t talk while they walk any more and his face has bruised and swollen considerably, although not as bad as it could have been, due to the kindness of one of his sponsors. 

It’s another day before they reach the Cornucopia and they don’t reach the metallic structure till late at night, Geoff gives a small chuckle when he sees all of the equipment there, and gives another chuckle when he sees who’s fast asleep on top of a large pile of apples.

Chris.

Geoff motions for Gavin to shoot him, but not kill him.

"Startle the son of a bitch" The arrow hits between his legs and Gavin’s not sure he’s seen anyone scramble away so fast from anything in his life, the look of terror and confusion on his face was comical, but only to Geoff. This was no Game to Gavin now. They jump down from their perch on the hill and stalk forward, Geoff strong and deliberate, Gavin just jogs along. 

There is no words in the exchange, just chuckles and looks. Geoff pulls out his bloodied sword and Chris wields his sickle, looking far older than his years, the deep lines set into his forehead and the bags under his eyes age him by twenty years. Geoff makes the first swing, reckless as always, Chris ducks and his hand shoots forward, pulling on Geoff’s leg, he’s stronger than Chris thinks but it doesn’t take long for Chris to readjust his grip and pull harder, Geoff falling to the ground, still no one talks. There’s clashing of metal against metal and nothing ever happens, Geoff manages to nick Chris on the forehead and Chris manages to graze Geoff’s arm. No serious injuries. They swing back and forth, moving all the time, before they know it they’ve moved out of the starting area and back towards the river that turns into a waterfall. The waterfall leads to the volcano that looks like it could erupt at any moment. Chris keeps them moving, dodging Geoff’s swings expertly, although the execution could be neater, the black haired man spends more time on his knees than he does on his feet. They back away farther and the rush of water can be heard above their grunts as they swing. Gavin has not intervened, that was the rule with Geoff. You could not steal his kill and Chris was his for now.

It seemed to go on forever, and although the skills being witnessed were professional and neatly executed from Geoff and well timed but sloppy from Chris, neither seemed to ever hit each other. It was only when Geoff hit the inside curve of his sickle and press right up until their bodies were pressed right against each others that Chris grinned

"You’re an idiot." The first thing said since their fighting had started forty minutes ago. 

Gavin only now knew what he meant as he looked beyond them. They were at the edge, beside the waterfall. Chris had backed them up to the point of no return. He grabs Geoff and turns to look at Gavin.

"Good goin’ buddy, _congrats on the win_ " and they were gone, falling. Gavin rushed over and looked over the side, Chris had let go of Geoff in the fall and both were hurtling towards jagged rocks and flat ground. Even as they fell Gavin could see Chris’ smile, he crossed his arms over his chest and awaited his death. Gavin turned away.

He had won…he had won the Hunger games, he was victorious. If he was champion; last man standing.

Why did he feel like such a loser?


End file.
